IllustrationEVERYTHING ELECTRICAL WOULD TURN ON IN THE CAR EXCEPT THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WILL NOT TURN OVER AT ALL. THE BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGED AND ALL DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAME BACK OK. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYONE STRANDED IN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY WARPED. *JB
2002 Pontiac Grand Am
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Grand Am years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am are substantially higher than the model-year median of 82.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Am years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
240–25K
5125–50K
6350–75K
5875–100K
49100–150K
25150K+
270 reports with mileage · 125 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 148 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 97 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
22 crash reports3 fire reports16 injury reports
What owners actually said
395 reportsI PURCHASED MY 2002 GRAND AM USED IN JULY 2005 WITH 25,000 MILES ON IT. HAVE SINCE REPLACED THE TIMING AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT ($2000+) AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET SOME OF THAT MONEY BACK FROM GM AS WE ARE AWARE THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN THAT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHAT HAPPENED. NOW... I HAD RECEIVED A "R…
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I PURCHASED MY 2002 GRAND AM USED IN JULY 2005 WITH 25,000 MILES ON IT. HAVE SINCE REPLACED THE TIMING AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT ($2000+) AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET SOME OF THAT MONEY BACK FROM GM AS WE ARE AWARE THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN THAT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHAT HAPPENED. NOW... I HAD RECEIVED A "RECALL" REGARDING THE BLINKERS ABOUT AN ISSUE WHERE THEY STOP WORKING. THE ISSUE I'M HAVING, OF COURSE, IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. IN DECEMBER, I BEGAN HEARING A CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE DASH WHICH SOUNDED LIKE THE BLINKER WAS FLASHING. THE BLINKERS ARE NOT FLASHING BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE. THEY DO SEEM TO BE WORKING FINE WHEN I AM ACTUALLY TRYING TO USE THEM. DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, BUT SOMETIMES IT CLICKS JUST A FEW TIMES AND STOPS, SOMETIMES IT CLICKS ALOT TO THE POINT WHERE I JUST TURN THE RADIO UP SO I CAN'T HEAR THE CLICKING. THE DEALER TOLD ME THIS WOULD COST $300 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ARM--WHICH APPARENTLY INVOLVES REMOVING THE STEERING COLUMN. LUCKILY, I KNOW A MECHANIC WHO WILL DO THIS REPAIR FOR THE COST OF THE ARM. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH GM AND THESE GRAND AMS? THEY SURE DON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT! I LOVE MY CAR, BUT THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS...TO THE POINT THAT I'M TEMPTED TO BUY A FOREIGN CAR NEXT TIME! *NM
WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH ON A BACK ROAD MY CAR SHUT OFF AND AT THAT POINT I ALSO LOST POWER STEERING SO I HAD TO GET OUT AND PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD BY MYSELF. HAD IT TOWED; FIRST MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE SECURITY SYSTEM AND A DEALER WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT IT. SO I HAD IT TOWED 42 MILES TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THE FUE…
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WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH ON A BACK ROAD MY CAR SHUT OFF AND AT THAT POINT I ALSO LOST POWER STEERING SO I HAD TO GET OUT AND PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD BY MYSELF. HAD IT TOWED; FIRST MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE SECURITY SYSTEM AND A DEALER WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT IT. SO I HAD IT TOWED 42 MILES TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THE FUEL PUMP HAD BURNED UP, BUT THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, NOT TO MENTION ON AN EXTREMELY BAD CORNER THAT I COULD HARDLY MANEUVER DUE TO THE LACK OF POWER STEERING. CAR ALSO HAS PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES...HAD BRAKES & ROTORS REPLACED TWICE NOW (ONCE IN AUGUST 2005 AND MOST RECENTLY ON DECEMBER 28, 2006) AND NOW THERE'S ALREADY A PROBLEM AS THE BRAKES FAILED WHEN I HAD TO STOP SHORT, LUCKILY AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. *NM
I HAVE A 2002 GRAND AM MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION GOING INTO REVERSE WAS ON 2000-2001 GRAND AM'S BUT NOT ON THE 2002. THE TRANSMISSION WAS MADE BY POWERTRAIN, MINE WAS ALSO. *NM
I HAVE A COMMON ISSUE WITH MY 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM AS WELL. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE GOTTEN INTO MY CAR TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND HAVE HAD TO WAIT 10, 20 OR EVEN 25 MINUTES UNTIL THE SECURITY LIGHT ON THE DASH CUTS OFF BEFORE I CAN START MY CAR. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY OR THE STARTER; THAT IS NOT THE …
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I HAVE A COMMON ISSUE WITH MY 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM AS WELL. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE GOTTEN INTO MY CAR TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND HAVE HAD TO WAIT 10, 20 OR EVEN 25 MINUTES UNTIL THE SECURITY LIGHT ON THE DASH CUTS OFF BEFORE I CAN START MY CAR. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY OR THE STARTER; THAT IS NOT THE CASE. WHEN I CALLED MY LOCAL PONTIAC SERVICE DEPARTMENT, I WAS TOLD THE SAME AS OTHERS THAT HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE: IT WILL CONTINUE TO GET WORSE UNTIL FINALLY THE CAR WILL NOT START NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU WAIT. IT IS A COSTLY ISSUE TO FIX. GM HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH I PERSONALLY KNOW SOMEONE ELSE THAT HAS THIS ISSUE; THE GM SERVICE DEPARTMENT CLERK THAT I TALKED TO TOLD ME HE GETS AT LEAST ONE CALL A DAY REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. *NM
I DROVE TO THE MALL, MY CAR RAN FINE. AFTER I WAS DONE SHOPPING (ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER) I WENT TO LEAVE, AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. IT LEFT ME WITH MY 2 CHILDREN STRANDED AND A TOW BILL. AFTER I HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME, IT STARTED RIGHT UP! I AM AFRAID TO GO ANYWHERE NOW IN FEAR THAT MY CHILDREN AND I WILL BE STRANDED AGAIN, AN…
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I DROVE TO THE MALL, MY CAR RAN FINE. AFTER I WAS DONE SHOPPING (ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER) I WENT TO LEAVE, AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. IT LEFT ME WITH MY 2 CHILDREN STRANDED AND A TOW BILL. AFTER I HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME, IT STARTED RIGHT UP! I AM AFRAID TO GO ANYWHERE NOW IN FEAR THAT MY CHILDREN AND I WILL BE STRANDED AGAIN, AND I WILL HAVE A LARGE TOW BILL. MY CRUISE CONTROL HAS QUIT WORKING TOO. *JB
I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE KEY IN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION. HAD I BEEN GOING FASTER INSTEAD OF TURNING A CORNER I WOULD HAVE WRECKED, BEEN KILLED, OR KILLED SOMEONE. *JB
ELECTRICAL - SINCE I BOUGHT 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT FOR MY COLLEGE BOUND DAUGHTER IN 2002 MORE THAN 10-12 TIMES SHE COMPLAINED HER CAR DOESN'T START AND I HAD TO GO TO GIVE HER JUMP. ON ONE OCCASION SHE TOOK TO THE DEALER. SEVERAL MECHANICS EVEN TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF OWNER OF THIS MODEL COMPLAINED ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL…
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ELECTRICAL - SINCE I BOUGHT 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT FOR MY COLLEGE BOUND DAUGHTER IN 2002 MORE THAN 10-12 TIMES SHE COMPLAINED HER CAR DOESN'T START AND I HAD TO GO TO GIVE HER JUMP. ON ONE OCCASION SHE TOOK TO THE DEALER. SEVERAL MECHANICS EVEN TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF OWNER OF THIS MODEL COMPLAINED ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I EVEN CHANGE THE BATTERY IN FIRST 2 YEARS. NOW AGAIN I AM HAVING PROBLEM CAR DOESN'T START WITHOUT JUMP (1/23/2007) . *NM
2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM, WILL NOT START UNTIL SECURITY PASSLOCK SYSTEM/COMPUTER CODE IS RESET BY TURNING IGNITION ON AND WAITING 10 MINUTES. APPARENTLY PROBLEM PROGRESSIVELY GETS WORSE UNTIL PROBLEM IS OCCURING MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED.
MULITIFUNCTION SWITCH FAILURE IN OUR 2002 GRAND AM AUTO. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER GRAND AM OWNERS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM AND GM/PONTIAC REFUSES TO ISSUE THE RECALL FOR VEHICLES FROM 2002 FORWARD. YET THEY HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT SWITCH FOR 1999 - 2001 VEHICLES. WE ARE TRYING TO GET THIS SWITCH REPAIRED A…
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MULITIFUNCTION SWITCH FAILURE IN OUR 2002 GRAND AM AUTO. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER GRAND AM OWNERS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM AND GM/PONTIAC REFUSES TO ISSUE THE RECALL FOR VEHICLES FROM 2002 FORWARD. YET THEY HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT SWITCH FOR 1999 - 2001 VEHICLES. WE ARE TRYING TO GET THIS SWITCH REPAIRED AT THIS TIME BUT THE COST IS VERY VERY HIGH.
Official recalls
114V400000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE05055 · Turn Signal Failures
Opened Sep 27, 2005 · Closed Jan 13, 2006
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting:hazard Flashing Warning Lights:switch; Exterior Lighting:turn Signal:switch
IN DECEMBER 2004, GM ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY FOR MY 1999-2000 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V327. THE POLICY COVERED TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH. GM SENT LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING DECEMBER 30, 2004.IN JANUARY 2006, GM WILL UPDATE THE SPECIAL POLICY TO INCLUDE MY 2002 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V-327.THE POLICY COVERS TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH.GM WILL SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING LATE APRIL 2006.THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Exterior Lighting:hazard Flashing Warning Lights:switch
IN DECEMBER 2004, GM ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY FOR MY 1999-2000 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V327. THE POLICY COVERED TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH. GM SENT LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING DECEMBER 30, 2004.IN JANUARY 2006, GM WILL UPDATE THE SPECIAL POLICY TO INCLUDE MY 2002 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V-327.THE POLICY COVERS TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH.GM WILL SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING LATE APRIL 2006.THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Exterior Lighting:turn Signal:switch
IN DECEMBER 2004, GM ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY FOR MY 1999-2000 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V327. THE POLICY COVERED TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH. GM SENT LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING DECEMBER 30, 2004.IN JANUARY 2006, GM WILL UPDATE THE SPECIAL POLICY TO INCLUDE MY 2002 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V-327.THE POLICY COVERS TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH.GM WILL SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING LATE APRIL 2006.THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.